Rajesh Tope, a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) from the Sharad Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and former state minister, disclosed that a letter of request had been sent to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
The letter pertained to the release of water from the upper Godavari valley dam reservoir into the Jayakwadi dam, aiming to alleviate the severe water scarcity in the region. The former state minister took to X on Sunday and said, A request statement was given to the Chief Minister Eknath ji Shinde, regarding the release of water from the reservoir of the upper Godavari valley dam group into the Jayakwadi dam.
The former state minister further indicated that Marathwada could witness ongoing protests led by the Marathwada Pani Parishad (MPP), a collective organization representing water rights activists and farmers. Additionally, he announced plans for a similar protest scheduled outside the premises of the Godavari Marathwada Irrigation Development Corporation (GMIDC) office on Monday.
Speaking to ANI on the water issue in Marathwada, Tope said, We have absolutely all rights to demand the release of water in Marathwada. It is our right that the water be released to the people of the region. The order for the release of water was issued on October 30, but it has not been released yet.
Some top officials in the municipal corporation are maintaining pressure on the issue due to which the water is not being released. The government is watching that the orders issued are not being followed but is still not taking any action, he added. We met Chief Minister Shinde and presented him with a request letter for the release of the water in the Jayakwadi dam, he assured us that he will look into the matter and will take a decision on the situation soon, Tope said further.